ECLAC Executive Secretary: Caribbean Must Be Active Architect of Its Development Models

Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs insists that the Caribbean "must be an active architect, not merely a beneficiary of new development models." Speaking at the meeting of the Monitoring Committee of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC), he made the point that development strategies in the Caribbean must be mission-oriented and must crosscut climate, finance, technology and social inclusion.

ES Salazar-Xirinachs was tackling the theme: Unlocking Caribbean Potential - Enhancing Growth and Development Through South-South Cooperation. After a series of presentations and discussions by ministers, technical specialists and high-level government officials, ES Salazar-Xirinachs reflected, "Smallness might be a disadvantage in certain dimensions, but being small and nimble, as was reiterated today, might also be an advantage in today's fast-moving world… The challenges we face are interconnected; so too must be our solutions. The Caribbean's vulnerabilities do not define its future. Instead, its future will be shaped by the partnerships it builds, the systems it strengthens and the innovations it chooses to embrace."

Presiding Chair of the CDCC and Minister of Planning of Trinidad and Tobago, Kennedy Swaratsingh, said that while the Caribbean has been burdened by heavy debt and exposure to extreme climate events, the region has shown that it is powerful and impactful in global development negotiations.

"…We have persistently been working to alleviate high debt, exposure to climate shocks, limited economies of scale and an overreliance on a narrow set of economic sectors. While these factors have restricted our fiscal space, slowed productivity growth and hampered our ability to invest in more rapid and holistic diversification, human capital and innovation, we have never given up as a region or failed to make our presence felt on the world stage in terms of advocating for ourselves." Minister Swaratsingh said South-South cooperation is a catalyst for development and must be leveraged deliberately to support structural transformation, increase resilience and expand opportunities for people and society.

Minister Swaratsingh opened the development seminar, which included panel discussions on digital bridges for Caribbean integration and financing for development - finding ways to increase the Caribbean's access to climate finance. "Whether in the digital sphere, resilience-building, innovation, the sustainable use of natural resources or governance reforms, there is tremendous value in learning from the experiences of countries that have tackled similar challenges and achieved meaningful progress. For the Caribbean, one of our greatest assets is our proximity to a diverse and dynamic Latin American region."

Established in 1975, the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee is marking the 50th anniversary of its establishment.

ECLAC is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations and promotes sustainable economic and social development in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean functions as the secretariat for the CDCC and seeks to deepen the understanding of the development challenges facing the Caribbean, and to contribute to solutions by conducting research and analysis and providing sound policy advice and technical assistance to Caribbean governments, focused on growth with equity and recognition of the subregion's vulnerability.